Assistant fire chief Joey Pryor was bumped up to chief during the October 8 meeting of the Atwood Mayor and Board of Aldermen.
A majority of aldermen voted to make Pryor the new chief on the recommendation of Mayor James Halford. Aldermen Ricky Long, Jimmy Lewis, and Jimmy Halford voted to promote Pryor, while alderman L.N. McNabb abstained from voting.
Pryor takes the spot of former fire chief Bobby McAlexander, who was removed from that position in a majority vote by the board during the September 10 meeting.
A lifelong Atwood resident, 40-year-old Pryor has served with the Atwood Fire Department for the past 15 years, and he is also employed at Tosh Farms.
McAlexander continues to serve as a firefighter with the fire department.
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In other business:
•The board generally agreed that a city fire truck can continue to go out to events at Clay Hill Racetrack near Atwood on the condition that racetrack owner Phil Colwell continues to make donations to the fire department. Town recorder Amanda Browning said that records of these donations will need to be included in the city’s financial records for auditing purposes.
•The board voted unanimously to have work done on Glover Street, including cleaning out ditches and installing new culverts, with residents having to pay for the culverts installed in front of their homes. A resident attending the meeting pointed out that many of the residents on that street are elderly and on fixed incomes, and they might not be able to afford that extra expense. Alderman Jimmy Lewis pointed out that the city can’t really force residents on that street to purchase new culverts.
•The mayor was authorized to advertise for engineering bids for the drilling of a new well. The mayor estimated that the project would cost between $250,000 and $300,000.
•The mayor pointed out that it was incorrectly reported in the Oct. 7 edition of the Carroll County News-Leader that the city would be using a $1.3 million loan through the USDA to update the city’s water system. The mayor said that the city has been approved for the loan, but no decision has yet been made as to whether or not the city will take out that loan and the financial burden of paying it back.
•The board voted unanimously to increase Browning’s yearly salary from $35,000 to $40,000 once she completes state testing and certification as a municipal financial officer.
•A $16,675 bid from Martin Paving of Medina was approved for work on Stewart Street. The board also agreed to pay extra for the installation of three more speed bumps in addition to the four included in the bid.
•A business permit was approved for Kristi’s Camo Café & Grill.
•Resident Teresa Stanfill asked the board if city employees would install a new culvert for an additional driveway at her residence on Green Hill Road if she purchases the culvert. The board generally agreed to this, but she was advised to consult with city employees before purchasing a culvert.
